Serviceable stout, the gimmick is the load of cream in the head. The taste of the body was nonobjectionable, passable stout, drinkable. Drying, with some coffee grinds, burnst grounds, not much roastiness, much malt. Bit of graininess. Well carbonated.

A: The beer is near black in color—traces of red are visible near the edge of the glass when it is held up to the light. It poured with a thin tan head that died down but left a large patch of bubbles on the surface.S: There are light to moderate aromas of lactose in the nose.T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of lactose along with some hints of chocolate malts.M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied, smooth and creamy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.O: This beer is very easy to drink and rather flavorful for the style.

Kinda frustrating to review these S.A. brews. The flavors are good, but leave me megging for more richness, boldness, and flavor. Sure the brew is solid, and probable fit the style well. However, in this one, I wanted a heavier cream character; a bolder, richer milk chocolate, capuccino flavor; and a bit more overall weight. What I got was a cleanly brewed, well formed recipe that is not offensive, yet risks little. Though timid for my taste, I thought the brew fell dangerously close to a Dry-Stout chalkiness, and with a thin body. Fortunately, but beer steers clear of obvious lactose additions and artificial sweetness. This S.A. brew does very well; I just wanted more out of it.

Mahogany brown with ruby highlights. Since I can see most of the way through the glass, the beer is right on the border between opacity and lucency. The beige colored crown is large, firm and sticky. A better than average array of lace is seen in the end.

Cream Stout smells like coffee ice cream covered in Hershey's syrup. It tastes like coffee too. It's more coffee-with-cream than black coffee, however. A little dark chocolate tries to peek through the javalanche, but doesn't stand much of a chance. Hops are pretty much absent, which is appropriate for the style.

The mouthfeel is a little thin for a stout, but then the ABV is less than 5.0%. A few too many bubbles becomes an appropriate amount by mid-bottle. Drinkability is on the high side and sessionability is obviously up there as well.

Samuel Adams Cream Stout is decent, but I've never been a fan of coffee-dominant beer. Cut that part of the flavor profile back a few notches, bulk up the body a little and this would be a very good milk stout.

This beer pours out as a deep brown color, with a brown colored head. The retention isn't all the great. The smell is highly roasted with some hops in the mix. The taste is quite strong actually, surprising. There is a really strong roasted flavor that's very bitter. I don't get a whole lot of lactos in it. The mouthfeel is a little bitey and dry. Overall the brew is decent. Not the best stout out there but different enough to be interesting.

A  Poured a nice very dark, and pretty much opaque black liquid. Not as thick and oil like as some others I have seen, but still had a decent thickness to it that was clearly evident. A nice two inch puls tan colored head quickly formed on the top and took its time settling over the course of five ot so minutes to reveal nothing more then a sticky coating of lace down the side with a decent amount left up on the top as well. Good solid look on this one, and seemed amply carbonated which is always a plus in the category for me.

S  Very sweet smell. Full of lactose and that was clear from the first whiff I took in. Lots of other sweet notes as well, sugar, caramel, were the other dominant characters in it. Also had a noticeable burnt or roasted effect to the aroma. Very nice. Very full bodied aroma and a lot more complex then I really thought it would be. Very nicely done so far at least from the look and smell.

T  Wow, very well done here. For some reason it is still in the back of my head the Sam Adams cannot compete with some of the more notorious Micros around, but they are slowly beginning to change my opinion and tasting this just really cememnted it for me. Lots of creamy lactose flavor with a full bodied caramel swing to it in the end. This was a rich sweet stout from beginning to end. More of that smoked or burnt flavor coming though on the taste as well, it may actually be somewhat of a roasted nuttiness I am picking up now. Very well crafted and extremely full flavor.

M  Very thick and rich. I was shocked as I had not had anything from them of this caliber before. Such a full bodied cream stout. One that would actually make you think this was a lot more then it actually was. A totally big smooth and creamy thickness to it. Really a high quality offering here. Great carbonation gave it that silky smoothness on the way down. Overall great full feel.

D  Very nice. Like a sessionable RIS for sure. I mean in the winter I could have a few, but it is still summer here so one and I am done for now. But it was a totally easy drinking stout. I could easily picture myself having a couple on a nice winter night, defiantly a plus here.

Overall very very pleasing and a nice surprise in this offering. It was my first one of the mixed pack and kinda glad it was as this was outstanding. I wished I had it a little later as it would have made for a fine dessert offering, however where it placed was just perfect. I really look forward to having another at some point. Try this one if you can, really good example of one of my favorite styles.

A: The pour is a dark brown color with a few red highlights. The head is mild and light tan in color.

S: The nose is roasty with a slight sweetness and perhaps a touch of creaminess.

T: The flavor is a bit one note and relies heavily on the roasted malt. There is a bit of coffee flavor and some bitterness along with a sweetness on the finish.

M: The body is on the lighter side of medium with a fairly tingly carbonation.

D: I enjoy a good milk stout, but this one was not quite as sweet as I generally expect for the style. Still, some decent flavors and perhaps a good introduction to the style for people that aren't familiar with it.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, near black body with a small tan head.

Smell: Roasted barley aroma with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and even toffee.

Taste: Rich roasted maltiness leads with the taste of semi-sweet chocolate and coffee giving a mocha impression. Some toffee rolls by midway. Mild graininess. No more than a touch of hops in the finish. Chocolatey aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability: A pleasant beer that's very easy to drink down. For me, it's one of the top Samuel Adams beers.

Review #1350. Nothing really important about that number, I just had nothing else to say as a lead-in this time. *sigh* It pours a dark ruby-brown topped by nearly a finger of ecru foam. The nose comprises lightly-roasted malts, walnuts, cocoa powder, and black pepper. The taste holds notes of roasted malts, kinda bitter dark chocolate, light vanilla, and the lightest possible smidge of Irish cream. The body is a sleek medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a pretty solid stout, nothing too amazing, but pretty tasty anyway.

Color is intensely dark brown with ruby highlights, topped by an impressive, dense tan head. Although it cannot hold, the head reduces to a consistent rim around the glass and produces some nice Belgian-lace throughout the pint. The aroma is welcoming, and full of sweet dark malts: dark toffee, bitter chocolate, fresh cream and honey, and a soft roastiness not unlike spent espresso grounds. The full mouthfeel and gentle carbonation separate this beer from the chaff.... silky-smooth, velvety, almost oily - similar to, but fuller and more solid than a nitro-beer. The flavor is not complex, and balances between the front and middle of the tongue - light and creamy coffee atop bittersweet chocolate; all the while backed by a restrained bitterness that caresses the back of the mouth. The finish is creamy and just slips away. Really a unique beer. Not confrontingly sweet as many milk / sweet stouts are. Quite the gentle, introspected, giant. Very well done.

T - Creamy roasted malt flavor with some malt bitterness and just a bit of hop flavor on top of the tongue. Nice nutty character as well. Finish is light and clean with some roasted coffee notes and a hint of chocolate.

M - Moderately light body with high carbonation and a clean, mild finish.

D - Easily drinkable. This is a light and clean stout that packs in just enough flavor to justify its color. I would almost think of this as a "nut brown stout".